South Africa’s Aaron Phangiso eager to receive long run in ODIs

aron Phangiso is hoping to receive a longer run in the South African One-Day International side during the tri-series in West Indies. Phangiso, along with Tabraiz Shamsi and Imran Tahir, form the three-man spin attack for South Africa in the Caribbean. With the pitches in West Indies expected to be on the slower side and with the national team looking to the future in their spin-department, it throws up a fruitful opportunity for Phangiso to raise his game and get to the next level. He is confident that he can add more value to the team after attending the spin camp in India recently. READ: Chris Morris could be South Africa’s answer to all-rounder woes

Aaron Phangiso is hoping to receive a longer run in the South African One-Day International side during the tri-series in West Indies. Phangiso, along with Tabraiz Shamsi and Imran Tahir, form the three-man spin attack for South Africa in the Caribbean. With the pitches in West Indies expected to be on the slower side and with the national team looking to the future in their spin-department, it throws up a fruitful opportunity for Phangiso to raise his game and get to the next level. He is confident that he can add more value to the team after attending the spin camp in India recently. READ: Chris Morris could be South Africa’s answer to all-rounder woes

According to cricbuzz.com, “The fact that Russell (Domingo) and the selectors chose to go with three spinners means there’s a chance of two spinners always playing. Hopefully, if conditions allow in West Indies, I can maybe get a bit of a run,” said a confident, Phangiso.
Speaking about South Africa’s plan of picking up three spinners for the tour, coach Russell Domingo, stated, “The wickets are not quick, they don’t offer much lateral movement and the spinners, particularly in Guyana, play a big role. We want to have a look at Shamsi. This is an opportunity to play him, particularly with Imran getting to the twilight stages of his career, it will be good to have another wrist-spinner,”
Shamsi’s career has been on the rise after the Caribbean Premier League. He was subsequently roped in for a stint in the IPL as well with Royal Challengers Bangalore. While this remains his first call-up to the national team, Shamsi’s abilities have pitch-forked him higher in the pecking order. To counter the challenge and enhance his position, Phangiso himself is planning a change of approach.
Talking about what he learned from the spin camp, he added, “What I got out of the spin camp was to shift my mentality from defensive to more attacking. I’ve been a defensive spinner all my career. I’ve always kept it tight and then get the wickets with pressure. But now maybe I’ll look to attack a bit, put fielders in attacking positions.”
Phangiso is eager to be a permanent in South Africa’s ODI lineup with some consistent performances. “For me to get a chance on other tours was hard because Imran performed very well. We almost went with the mentality of one spinner and backing the seamers. But this tour will maybe be different. I’m hoping to put in some good performances and to get some consistency,” said the left-arm spinner.
Having gone through a lot in his personal and professional life, Phangiso is rearing to go on the field and forget about the past debacles. From being caught on TV mimicking snorting cocaine to an alcohol-related incident on a flight that forced Cricket South Africa to sanction him, and then having to face a ban for illegal action, he has been in news for all the wrong reasons. He has corrected his bowling action and insists that he has learned from those incidents.
“There are a lot of lessons you learn from these types of things, and a lot of the time the public get a story that’s not 100% accurate. But the fact that the story is out there and people think some other stuff about you, obviously you are going to learn something,” concluded Phangiso.

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